1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk drive, a disk cartridge and an optical storage system provided with them. Moreover, the present invention relates to a media convertible storage system used to record, reproduce and keep a high density information, and more particularly relates to an optical storage system including an optical library.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a large capacity memory unit employed in a video camera, a computer and the like, a media convertible memory unit is mainly used, such as a magnetic tape, a fixed magnetic disk, an optical disk or the like. In the magnetic tape memory unit, the magnetic tape accommodated in a tape cartridge is inserted in a tape drive, and a data is sequentially recorded in conjunction with winding of a tape. Making the tape longer increases a record area to thereby increase its storage capacity. The fixed magnetic disk tries to cancel out the influence of dust and the like, by designing the closed structure that a magnetic disk is built in the disk drive. Further, the fixed magnetic disk tries to increase its storage capacity by making a magnetic head extremely close to the surface of the disk. The disk is fixed to a spindle motor to thereby reduce a chucking error and a run-out of the disk, and accordingly insure a rapid access and a stable operation. Also, in the media convertible storage system, a disk cartridge using a magneto-optic effect and a phase change is standardized by ISO and the like. In this disk cartridge, since a record area of the media is limited, it is inferior in storage capacity to the magnetic tape. However, access can be arbitrarily done to recorded information. Thus, it is possible to quickly correspond to a reproduction of desirable information.
The disk cartridge has the following structure. That is, when it is inserted into the optical disk drive, a shutter is opened to accordingly expose the optical disk, which enables the access to the optical head or the chucking of the spindle motor. The disk cartridge is slower in access speed than the fixed magnetic disk because of a chucking error to the spindle motor when the disk cartridge is accommodated in the optical disk drive and a weight of the optical head. On the contrary, the disk cartridge is superior in storage density. Moreover, it is used to keep the large-scale information by taking advantage of the media convertible type.
In recent years, a processing amount of information has been increased due to the large improvement of performance of CPU, peripheral parts and the like in a computer and the great progress and complexity of a software. Moreover, a TV broadcast and a video camera are largely digitized so that image information is captured and treated in the computer. Under such situation, the access to the recorded information cannot be done arbitrarily, in the memory using the magnetic tape. Thus, it is not suitable for a process, such as information edition or the like. Also, it is difficult in management to store all information in one fixed magnetic disk. Hence, it is impossible to cope with the increase of the accumulating information amount. Moreover, if crush of a floating magnetic head and the like occur, the whole memory cannot be used, which results in the loss of all the recorded information.
The media convertible storage system employing the disk cartridge is superior in random access to recorded information. Also, it is superior in correspondence to management of high-density information and an increasing information amount. However, the structure, in which the surface of the optical disk is exposed, causes dust, oil mist, vapor, bacteria and other minute particles in ambient air to be sucked into interior of the apparatus and further invade in the gap between the optical head and the surface of the optical disk and finally damage the recording and reproducing functions. Even in the optical disk, it is necessary to make the optical head extremely close to the surface of the optical disk in order to increase the storage capacity. Hence, any minute foreign material should be avoided from invading.
If the combination usage of the fixed magnetic disk system and the media convertible storage system tries to solve the above-mentioned problems, this results in new problems of increase of an apparatus installation space and a high cost.
Moreover, in the conventional optical library, a space in which a mechanism for mounting and detaching the optical disks or the disk cartridges in or from the optical disk library is complex, and a wide space is necessary, which causes the optical library to be made larger, and the cost to be expensive, and the reliability to be deteriorated.
Furthermore, the conventional disk cartridge requires a mechanism for opening and closing a shutter of the disk cartridge and then chucking the optical disk on the spindle motor, which results in the problems of the larger scales of optical disk drive, the higher cost, the deteriorations of reliability and the like.
The present invention is proposed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. It is therefore an object of the present invention to attain a disk cartridge superior in dust immunity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge having a simplified structure and a low cost.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge having an excellent reliability and a structure suitable for a large storage capacity, which will be required by the technical innovation in future.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge in which a chucking mechanism of an optical disk is removed when it is mounted in an optical disk drive.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk drive of a rapid access, a large storage capacity, a low cost and a high reliability.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk drive in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical library in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge superior in dust immunity to thereby improve the dust immunity of an optical storage system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical storage system in which a plurality of disk cartridges can be easily accommodated in an optical disk drive, and even a single optical disk drive can cope with various services with regard to the operations of recording and reproducing information, such as an operation of storing a frequently used program, an operation of keeping a large-scale information, a backup of a recorded program and information, and the like.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical storage system suited to record, reproduce or keep a large-scale image information in which a chucking mechanism of a disk cartridge can be removed in an optical library and a large number of disk cartridges can be accommodated in a small type optical library.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a compact optical storage system suitable for a small note type computer, an image information storage apparatus and the like, in which it can be used only by inserting a part of a disk cartridge into an optical disk drive, and great importance is placed on portability.
In order to attain the above-mentioned objects, the first feature of the present invention lies in a disk cartridge having a frame, an optical disk mounted in this frame, a spindle motor for holding this optical disk rotatable, an optical head assembly disposed on the frame, a cartridge-side-connector and an optical window mounted on the frame. Here, the frame has a hermetically sealed structure. And, the optical head assembly has an optical head, which can access a surface of the optical disk, and a seeking mechanism for positioning this optical head at a specified track on the optical disk. The cartridge-side-connector is so designed that it electrically connects the spindle motor and a drive unit of the optical head assembly to an outer portion of the disk cartridge. The optical window is made of material transparent to a wavelength of a light beam.
The disk cartridge of the present invention can attain such a simplified structure, and can be provided with a low cost. Especially, the spindle motor is mounted in the disk cartridge to thereby enable the removal of a chucking mechanism of the optical disk when it is mounted in an optical disk drive, and also enable a plurality of disk cartridges to be easily accommodated in the optical disk drive. Moreover, the disk cartridge is designed as the hermetically sealed structure. Thus, it is possible to protect the optical disk and an objective lens from dust in ambient air, and possible to insure the excellent reliability and also possible to provide the structure suitable for a large storage capacity which will be required by the technical innovation in future.
The second feature of the present invention lies in an optical disk drive having an optical assembly, a disk cartridge guide member for guiding a disk cartridge to a predetermined position within the optical disk drive, a disk cartridge lock mechanism and a drive-side-connector. Here, the optical assembly has optical elements necessary for a generation and a detection of a light beam used to record and reproduce information. The optical assembly further has a mechanism for adjusting a position of the light beam. The disk cartridge lock mechanism holds the disk cartridge at a predetermined position within the optical disk drive when the disk cartridge is used. And the disk cartridge lock mechanism ejects the disk cartridge outside the optical disk drive, when it is not used. The drive-side-connector is so configured that it will be fitted into and electrically connected to a cartridge-side-connector on the disk cartridge.
In the optical disk drive of the present invention, the optical system for recording and reproducing information is divided so that the optical assembly requiring high cost is mounted on the side of the optical disk drive. Accordingly, the structure of the disk cartridge described in the first feature can be simplified to thereby attain low cost cartridges.
The third feature of the present invention lies in an optical library comprising an accommodation rack for accommodating a plurality of disk cartridges, an optical assembly, a moving mechanism, a disk cartridge lock mechanism, and a library-side-connector. The optical assembly has optical elements necessary for a generation and a detection of a light beam used to record and reproduce information. And the offal assembly has a mechanism for adjusting a position of the light beam. The moving mechanism moves and holds the optical assembly to and at a position corresponding to any of disk cartridges. The disk cartridge lock mechanism holds the disk cartridge at a predetermined position within the optical library, when the disk cartridge is used. And, the disk cartridge lock mechanism ejects the disk cartridge outside the optical library, when it is not used. The library-side-connector is so configured that it will be fitted into and electrically connected to a cartridge-side-connector on the disk cartridge.
According to the optical library of the present invention, a large number of disk cartridges described in the first feature can be accommodated in the compact and small optical library. Thus, it is possible to provide an optical storage system suitable for the service to record, reproduce or keep large-scale image information.
The fourth feature of the present invention lies in an optical storage system comprising the disk cartridge described in the first feature and the optical disk drive described in the second feature.
In the optical storage system according to the fourth feature of the present invention, the optical disk, the optical head and the seeking mechanism are mounted in the disk cartridge, and the optical assembly requiring high cost is mounted in the optical disk drive. Namely, as stated in the second feature, the optical system for recording and reproducing information is divided into the disk cartridge and the optical disk drive, considering the costs and volumes of constituent elements. Thus, the structure of the disk cartridge can be simplified so as to attain low cost cartridges. Moreover, the spindle motor is mounted in the disk cartridge to accordingly enable the removal of the chucking mechanism of the optical disk when it is mounted in the optical disk drive, and also enable a plurality of disk cartridges to be easily accommodated in the optical disk drive. Hence, even a single optical disk drive can cope with various services of recording and reproducing information. The services may include storing frequently used programs, keeping large-scale information, and backuping of recorded programs and information, etc. Also as described in the first feature, the disk cartridge has the hermetically sealed structure. Thus, it is possible to protect the optical disk and the optical head from dust in ambient air, and possible to insure the excellent reliability. And the optical storage system of the fourth feature can provide the structure suitable for the large storage capacity system, which will be required by the technical innovation in future.
The fifth feature of the present invention lies in an optical storage system comprising a plurality of disk cartridges containing the first and second disk cartridges having the structure described in the first feature and the optical disk drive described in the second feature. For example, the first disk cartridge has a first frame, a first optical disk mounted in this first frame, a first spindle motor for holding this first optical disk rotatable, a first optical head assembly, a first cartridge-side-connector and a first optical window mounted on the first frame. On the other hand, the second disk cartridge has a second frame, a second optical disk mounted in this second frame, a second spindle motor for holding this second optical disk rotatable, a second optical head assembly, a second cartridge-side-connector and a second optical window which is mounted on the second frame. Here, the first and second frames have hermetically sealed structures, respectively. The first and second optical head assemblies have optical heads which can access surface of the first and second optical disks and seeking mechanisms for positioning the respective optical heads at specified tracks on the first and second optical disks, respectively. And, as described in the second feature, the optical disk drive has an optical assembly, first and second disk cartridge guide members for guiding the first and second disk cartridges to predetermined positions within the optical disk drive, first and second disk cartridge lock mechanisms, first and second drive-side-connectors and an optical path switching mechanism for selectively leading the light beam to the first or second disk cartridge. The optical assembly has optical elements necessary for a generation and a detection of a light beam used to record and reproduce information and a mechanism for adjusting positions of the light beam. The first and second disk cartridge lock mechanisms hold the first and second disk cartridges at predetermined positions within the optical disk drive, when the first and second disk cartridges are used. And the first and second disk cartridge lock mechanisms eject the first and second disk cartridges outside the optical disk drive when they are not used, respectively. The first and second cartridge-side-connectors are configured such that they electrically connect to first and second drive-side-connectors, respectively.
In the optical storage system according to the fifth feature of the present invention, the optical disk, the optical head and the seeking mechanism are mounted in the first and second disk cartridges, respectively, and the optical assembly requiring high cost is mounted in the optical disk drive, and then the optical system is divided. Thus, the structures of the first and second disk cartridges can be simplified so that low cost cartridges can be commercially provided. Moreover, the spindle motors are mounted in the first and second disk cartridges to accordingly enable the removal of the chucking mechanism of the optical disk when it is mounted in the optical disk drive, and also enable a plurality of disk cartridges to be easily accommodated in the optical disk drive. Hence, even a single optical disk drive can cope with various services with regard to the operations of recording and reproducing information. The various services may include storing frequently used programs, keeping large-scale information. The backup of recorded programs and information is also possible by the optical storage system of the fifth feature. Also as described in the first feature, the first and second disk cartridges have the hermetically sealed structure. Thus, it is possible to protect the optical disk and the optical head from dust in ambient air, and possible to insure the excellent reliability of the optical storage system. Further, the optical storage system of the fifth feature can provide the structure suitable for the large storage capacity system, which will be required by the technical innovation in future.
The sixth feature of the present invention lies in an optical storage system comprising a plurality of disk cartridges described in the first feature and the optical library described in the third feature.
In the optical storage system according to the sixth feature of the present invention, the optical system for recording and reproducing information is divided into the plurality of disk cartridges and the optical library, regarding the cost and volume of the constituent elements. That is, the optical disk, the optical head and the seeking mechanism are mounted in each of the plurality of the disk cartridges. On the other hand, the optical assembly, which has optical elements necessary for a generation and a detection of a light beam, as well the mechanism for adjusting the position of the light beam, is mounted in the optical library. Further, each of the disk cartridges has the hermetically sealed structure. Thus, it is possible to protect the optical disk and the optical head, which are enclosed in each of the disk cartridges, from dust in ambient air. Then it is possible to insure the excellent reliability of the optical storage system. Furthermore, the optical storage system of the sixth feature can provide the structure suitable for the large storage capacity system, which will be required by the technical innovation in future. In the optical storage system of the sixth feature, the spindle motor is further mounted in the disk cartridge to accordingly enable the removal of the chucking mechanism of the disk cartridge within the optical library. Hence, it is possible to accommodate a large number of disk cartridges in a geometrically small optical library. Therefore, it is possible to provide the optical storage system suitable for the services with regard to the operation of recording, reproducing and keeping large-scale information.
Other and further objects and features of the present invention will become obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described in connection with the accompanying drawings or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employing of the invention in practice.